Plyo Dips
Explosive dips where you push off the bars and catch yourself. Builds tremendous upper body power.
Short answer
Plyo Dips: an advanced bodyweight exercise for the chest and triceps. You need dip bars or parallel bars. A typical target: 3 sets of 5-8 reps.
Benefits
Step-by-Step Guide
Follow these steps for perfect form
Start in dip position.
Lower with control.
Explode up, releasing hands.
Catch bars and repeat.
Pro Tips
Common Mistakes
Target Muscles
What muscles does the plyo dips work?
The chest, triceps and front deltoid work explosively to launch you off the bars, then absorb bodyweight eccentrically as you catch. That catch is the demanding part and the part that carries risk - the shoulder is in a deep position under a sudden load. The scapular stabilisers, particularly the lower traps and rhomboids, have to hold the shoulder blades in place through the impact. The core keeps the legs from swinging, which matters more here than in a strict dip because momentum is already involved.
Primary Muscles
Secondary Muscles
How to train it
Three sets of 5 to 8 reps, once a week, early in the session and never to failure. You should have 15 strict dips and comfortable weighted dips before attempting these. Rest two to three minutes between sets - this is power work and quality collapses quickly. Build up through dips where the hands just leave the bars before trying for real height.
If you are stuck
Poor catching mechanics is the fault that injures shoulders. Land with the hands back on the bars and immediately let the elbows bend to absorb the drop, rather than catching rigid. If you cannot control the catch, you are launching higher than your strength supports. Not enough height usually means you are pressing rather than driving - accelerate through the whole rep instead of pushing smoothly. Stop the set as soon as height drops off; the reps after that are the ones that go wrong.
Progressions
Level up your training
Plyo Dips questions
Are plyo dips safe?
Plyo dips are safe when you have a strong foundation of regular dips (15+ reps) and practice proper landing technique. Start with small explosive movements before full releases.
How do I progress to plyo dips?
Start with regular dips, progress to fast/explosive dips without leaving the bars, then small hops, and finally full plyometric releases with catches.
Related Exercises
More Push exercises
Push-Up
The push-up is the foundational pushing movement in calisthenics. It builds strength in your chest, shoulders, and triceps while engaging your core for stability.
Diamond Push-Up
A close-grip push-up variation where your hands form a diamond shape. This targets the triceps more intensely than regular push-ups.
Wide Push-Up
A push-up variation with hands placed wider than shoulder-width for greater chest activation and stretch.
Ready to Practice Plyo Dips?
Find a calisthenics park with dip bars near you and start training.